Alice In Chains

Latest Alice In Chains News

Below is our complete Alice In Chains news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.

Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.

With all the rumors going around about the bands on Ozzfest, Antimusic.com thought it would be fun to look at some of the latest rumors:

Guns N' Roses - We now know that Axl and company are making the rounds at European festivals this Spring but will they headline Ozzfest? It could happen but then again they could easily sellout the same venues on their own and keep all the cash instead of sharing with Sharon.

AC/DC - Given that Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, two bands that do well on their own, have done the tour in the past it's not too crazy to think of AC/DC heading the fest but again they might be better off on their own.

Korn - Since they aren't drawing like they used to on their own this might make be a good fit.

Alice in Chains - Judas Priest used Ozzfest for their comeback but a Layne-less AIC might not attract enough $$ for Sharon.

System of a Down - Given how much they love greedy capitalist like Sharon, who knows?

Body Count - Ice T supposedly told a radio DJ that they are doing it. Would be kind of cool to have a credible rap rock band on the tour for a change.

Tool - would be cool but they are supposed to have some conflicting summer gigs already in the can.

Metallica - management killed this rumor. Maybe they will team up with Guns N Roses again and do stadiums? Hey we can start rumors too, just look at the next section!

Since rumors are so fun, we're gonna start our own. Sharon wants to expand Ozzfest's reach and wants to sell as many tickets as possible so what about these bookings? Backstreet Boys, 50 Cent and Britney Spears. Think it's a stretch? Sharon did put Crazy Town on the main stage one year and let's not forget about Linkin Park and Adema.

MTV.com reports that the surviving members of Alice In Chains will be reuniting for a number of gigs this summer, and a possible North American tour, and are seeking a vocalist for those gigs and possibly for recording future material with the band either under their name or a new band name.

In the words of Jerry Cantrell, "There will be some Alice in Chains shows this year — that's a fact." There may even be a new record from the grunge rockers, who've been idle for close to 10 years. At this point, the guitarist said, all he can really say is that the band is active, and that the remaining members of Alice — himself, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney — will be taking the stage this summer to perform songs from the band's catalog.

"We're making it up as we go along," Cantrell explained. "It's what we always did in the past. We're writing the book as we live it. We feel confident that we will have a good time and that it's something that will live up to the same level. It's an exploratory thing, and we're just having fun with it. We'd like to go out and play for the people that supported us and love the music as much as we have all these years. We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend."

Cantrell of course refers to Layne Staley, the late Alice In Chains frontman, who died in April 2002 from a mixture of heroin and cocaine at 34 years old.

"We have played with some [singers] who can actually bring it and add their own thing to it without being a Layne clone," Cantrell explained, adding that the three remaining Alice In Chains members will be meeting with several would-be Staley proxies in the coming months, to front the group at European festival gigs. Alice in Chains have been listed as one of the acts performing at Austria's NovaRock Festival in June, but the guitarist said nothing's been confirmed yet.

Kinney said the band hopes to play several North American dates this summer. Cantrell, Kinney and Inez started jamming together late last year, and the reunion will get into full swing March 10, when the reunited Alice in Chains perform at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as part of VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live" homage to Heart. Former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan, "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, Rufus Wainwright and Gretchen Wilson are also set to appear. Cantrell promised a host of other special guests during the show, but he wouldn't give names.

The band will perform with Comes With the Fall frontman William DuVall — a member of Cantrell's touring band. DuVall could, theoretically, be part of the Alice in Chains fold come this summer. "We've done some rehearsing with Will and we're having a lot of fun with him," Cantrell said. "But we're still in the beginning stages where we're trying to figure out what we want to do. He could cut it, without a doubt — but we haven't made a final decision on that yet."

Kinney continued, "I don't see continuing as Alice and replacing somebody. ... We're not trying to replace Layne. We want to play these songs one more time, and if it seems like the right thing to do, it'll happen. I don't know how long it will go or where it will take us. It's kind of a tribute to Layne and our fans, the people who love these songs. It's not some 'I'm broke and I need the money' situation. We love playing together."

Kinney said Alice in Chains had been approached by the producers of "Rock Star" for the reality show's second season. They turned the offer down.

The surviving members of Alice in Chains will perform with Heart on February 17 at the Trump Taj Mahal Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The concert will be taped as part of a new episode of VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!" series. Look for the show to air in the spring. Tickets go on sale Monday through Heart's online fan club.

Former ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell will be teaming up with PUDDLE OF MUDD frontman Wes Scantlin for a rare "unplugged" performance on Sunday, July 31 at Rain at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cantrell recently told MTV.com that he has been working on his new solo album with several high-profile musicians, including METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo, ex-JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Wyse, ex-JANE'S ADDICTION drummer Stephen Perkins, ALICE IN CHAINS' Sean Kinney and Mike Inez, producer Marti Frederiksen (MICK JAGGER, AEROSMITH) and FAITH NO MORE's Mike Bordin, who played drums on Cantrell's most recent disc, 2002's "Degradation Trip".

Former ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell recently spoke to MTV.com about his upcoming solo album, which he expects to complete by the fall.

"I've spent the last year and a half in writing mode, compiling a lot of material, writing with a lot of different people," Cantrell told MTV.com. "I've worked with some great songwriters, and I've just been stockpiling my warheads, so to speak, until it's time to do a record. And it's getting pretty close to that time. I've been just gearing up for the next phase of my career, whether that's my third solo record or, of course, there's a possibility it may be a new band as well. I'm just sussing that out for myself. CARDBOARD VAMPYRES [the 'covers' band featuring Cantrell and ex-THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy], is something we do for a blast."

Fear Factory are to release their new album entitled, "Transgression", and have set an August 23. The album will be produced by Toby Wright (Metallica, Alice In Chains, Korn). Also, Billy Gold from Faith No More will be contributing bass to two songs on the album entitled, "Echo of My Scream" and "Super Nova". Other tracks are as follows:

Transgression SupernovaNew Promise (co-written with Mark Morton of Lamb of God)Empire540,000 Degrees FahrenheitContagion (which original¹s version was recorded for Rainbow 6)

Fear Factory released the following about the album:

"It's really cool to be writing a new record. We are all feeling very positiveand it's moving quickly since we have overcome some major obstacles. Now we canwork on a fucking great album. 2005 is the year of Transgression for FEARFACTORY!Fans will get to hear some of the new FEAR FACTORY tracks this summer on DaveMustaine's GIGANTOUR. Christian Olde Wolbers, who will be slaying fans on theGIGANTOUR tour this summer with his new JACKSON signature series guitars andKrankenstein amps, states, "We're really excited about doing a big summer tour -we haven't done that since we headlined the side stage of the Ozzfest tour in98. I'm happy to convert the older and young metal fans of the GIGANTOUR. Onceagain Dave has put together a slamming summer tour!"

Seattle's KIROTV.com is reporting that former ALICE IN CHAINS bassist Mike Starr was arrested in Seattle for vandalizing a car.

A man named Phillip told KIROTV.com that he spotted a man pulling the hood ornament off his car Sunday night.

He said he recognized the man as Michael Christopher Starr and called police. Starr was arrested Sunday night for "investigation of property destruction and theft."

Starr, 39, a founding member of ALICE IN CHAINS, has been in legal trouble before in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. His past charges include DUI, reckless driving, and various drug charges.

Back in April 1994, Starr was sentenced to 30 days in the Houston jail formisdemeanor drug possession. Starr was arrested at Houston's Intercontinental Airport while trying to check in for a flight to Los Angeles with a suitcase he had stolen from the baggage claim area. Authorities searched him and found he was carrying marijuana.

Former Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell is currently recording in Los Angeles. He's working with the one-time Jane's Addiction rhythm section of Chrise Wyse (bass) and Stephen Perkins (drums). No news on how, or when, this will be released.

Who would've thought Maynard James Keenan, the spooky singer for TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE, would have made a near-perfect singer for ALICE IN CHAINS? That was one of the many surprises Friday night when some of Seattle's brightest musical stars came out for a cause at Premier nightclub.

The cause was a benefit concert for victims of last year's tsunami and the stars included Ann and Nancy Wilson of HEART, NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic, SUPERSUCKERS, SIR MIX-A-LOT, THE CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION and others. But the brightest stars were the remaining members of ALICE IN CHAINS — drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist Jerry Cantrell — who performed together for the first time in six years.

Novoselic acted as emcee for the show, which was put on by radio station K-Rock (KRQI-FM/96.5) and raised more than $100,000 for relief efforts. More...

Jerry Cantrell and Mike Bordin were both involved in recording the songs for the covers CD to be included in the upcoming Ozzy box set, 'Prince Of Darkness'. Alice In Chains guitarist Cantrell and former Faith No More drummer Bordin were joined by keyboard player Jim Cox and bassist Chris Wyse. There are also guest appearances from guitarist Leslie West (on a version of Mountain's 'Mississippi Queen') and Ian Hunter (who appears on a cover of Mott The Hoople's 'All The Young Dudes').

ALICE IN CHAINS members Sean Kinney (drums) and Jerry Cantrell (guitar) spoke to MTV.com about their upcoming "reunion" concert at Seattle's Premier club on February 18 as part of a benefit concert to aid the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami distaster. Kinney and Jerry Cantrell will be joined at the gig by ALICE IN CHAINS bassist Mike Inez and DAMAGEPLAN singer Pat Lachman.

"We all saw what happened with the tsunamis in Southeast Asia. It was such an overwhelming tragedy," Kinney said. "So I called Jerry and Mike and they realized that we could really help some people out. So they were totally into it." "We'd been talking about doing something like this for a couple of years now, but we've never been able to work it out," Cantrell said. "I mean, we haven't been in a room together. But when Sean called and said he wanted to do a benefit, we were like, 'It sounds perfect.' And this was the right time to do it."

Regarding their decision to ask Lachman to fll the void left by frontman Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose in 2002, Cantrell said that he had known the guys in PANTERA for a long time, so when former PANTERA guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage while performing with his new group, DAMAGEPLAN, "we were on a plane down to Texas the next day to lend our support," he recalled. "Myself, Mike and Pat were asked to play a couple of songs at Dime's memorial. And for Pat to do that so soon after losing his friend, it was amazing.

"It's been a couple of years now since Layne's been gone, and we know what it's like to lose somebody, so we were there to lend our support just like they were there for us," he continued. "So when the idea for this benefit came up — something positive — we knew Pat would be the perfect person to ask."

As to whether fans might see a new version of ALICE IN CHAINS hitting the studio eventually, "We're taking it on a step-by-step basis," Cantrell said. "We're excited to get together and throw down. Who can say what is going to happen in the future? I've been fortunate enough to have had success in this business and to play with people you admire. But it's not quite as cool as playing with these guys. It's a chemistry thing. It's unwritten. And it's bigger than all of us; it's a larger power."

ALICE IN CHAINS members Sean Kinney (drums), Jerry Cantrell (guitar) and Mike Inez (bass), along with DAMAGEPLAN singer Pat Lachman, will take the stage of Seattle's Premier club on February 18 as part of a benefit concert to aid the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami distaster.

"When something like this happens, you want to help," Kinney told RollingStone.com. "I called people up here in the Northwest to see who was available, and Jerry and Mike were the first guys I called."

The show will be Kinney, Cantrell and Inez's first together in nine years — as well as their first without lead singer Layne Stanley, who died from a drug overdose in 2002. "Obviously we all needed to take some time and all deal with the situation of the band and Layne's death," said Cantrell.

The three thought Lachman, who lost a bandmate himself in December when guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was fatally shot in an Ohio nightclub, was a natural choice to join them. "I've known Pat through the PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN guys for years," Cantrell explained. "We were all down in Dallas to support the family, and we actually played a couple of ALICE songs at Dime's memorial, so it made sense."

For the benefit, the reunited group will perform material from the ALICE IN CHAINS catalog, and recording new music remains a possibility. "We're just starting with the gig, and we'll see what happens," Cantrell said. "But we can't wait to get into the room together. I've done plenty of [projects] without Sean and Mike, and, as far as having that silent chemistry, nobody really compares.

"If the last couple of months have shown me anything," he continued, "it's that it's still a really dangerous world we live in. You have to put one foot in front of the other . . . and if you look too far down the trail, you'll fall on your face."

As previously reported, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney, the remanants of ALICE IN CHAINS, are set to play their first show together since 1996, as part of the Tsunami Benefit Show in Seattle, WA on February 18th.

Joining them as special guest vocalist for the momentous occasion will be none other than DAMAGEPLAN frontman Pat Lachman.

The remaining members of Alice In Chais - Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney - are to play their first show together since 1996. This will happen at the Premiere Club in Seattle in February, at a tsunami benefit show. They'll be joined by an as yet unnamed vocalist.

The inside of the cavernous convention center was filled with flowers and oversized magazine covers featuring Abbott, according to The Dallas Morning News. Among the musicians on hand to pay tribute were guitarists Zakk Wylde and Eddie Van Halen.

"I'm here for the same reason as everyone else, to give some love back," said Van Halen, who, along with Wylde, reportedly downed shots of booze as he spoke.

"This guy was full of life. He lived and breathed rock and roll." Van Halen held his cell phone up to the microphone and played a profanity-laced message left by an excited Abbott after a concert he played with Van Halen.

"I just wanted to give you a ... call to tell you thank you so ... much, man, for the most awesome, uplifting, euphoric, spiritual rock and roll extravaganza ever," Abbott said in the message to Van Halen, according to reports.

"A whole part of my life is gone," said Wylde, described as red-eyed and visibly upset. More...

Legendary rock producer and musician Bob Kulick (Kiss, Meatloaf) has finished producing an all-star tribute to Iron Maiden in honor of their 25th anniversary. Culling from his extensive contacts in the musician world, Kulick has assembled major hard rock and metal players to come together and put this tribute album together.

All of the tracks have been completed except for two key signature vocalists to come in and finish the job. Kulick has been using the rest of the finished material to shop around for a label to license the masters and put out the hottest Iron Maiden tribute of all time.

Britain's Metal Hammer magazine is reporting that Glenn Danzig (DANZIG, ex-MISFITS) is working on a concept album with ex-ALICE IN CHAINS axeman Jerry Cantrell.

The record, which Danzig describes as "death blues," will double up as the soundtrack to a movie adaptation of Danzig's Verotik comic.

DANZIG released their new album, "Circle of Snakes", in August through Danzig's Evilive label (Regain Records in Europe). Cantrell is writing his third solo album while continuing to play select gigs with his "jam" band CARDBOARD VAMPYRES (which also features ex-THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy and former MOTLEY CRUE frontman John Corabi).